Jane Eyre Summary - eNotes.com Jane Eyre Summary Charlotte Brontë Jane Eyre Summary The orphaned Jane Eyre grows up with her cruel aunt and cousins, before she is sent away to a girls' boarding school, Lowood, which teaches poor and orphaned girls. Though her aunt tries to undermine Jane's experience at the school, Jane does well in school, and stays at Lowood as a teacher after she graduates. After her confidante and former teacher, Miss Temple, gets married, Jane takes a job as a governess at Thornfield Hall, which the elderly housekeeper, Alice Fairfax, advertised. Her student is a young, French girl named Adele, whose connection with the household is not particularly clear. The master of the house, Edward Rochester, takes an immediate liking to Jane, even though at their first meeting, Rochester had just fallen off his horse on an icy bit of road. Rochester seems to be falling in love with Jane, who is also falling for him, but there are also rumors that Rochester will soon get married to the lovely and talented, but hard-hearted Blanche Ingram.

Beyond that, Thornfield Hall is becoming more and more eerie, as Jane hears disembodied voices, and one night Rochester almost dies when his bed catches fire under mysterious circumstances. However, Rochester does ask Jane to marry him, but their modest wedding ceremony is interrupted when Mr. Briggs declares that Rochester already has an insane wife locked away on the third floor. Jane runs away, and coincidentally ends up on the doorstep of a group of siblings who turn out to be her cousins (from the other side of her family than the cruel aunt from her childhood). While living with the Rivers family, Jane learns she has inherited money from her uncle, which she shares with her cousins. One of her cousins wants Jane to marry him and be a missionary with him in India, but Jane does not want to, though she feels a sense of Christian duty to do so. Then one night, she hears Rochester's disembodied voice calling her name, and takes it as a sign to return to Thornfield. When she arrives she finds that Rochester's wife has burned Thornfield to the ground, and Rochester has lost his hand and his sight. His wife died after jumping off the building. Jane marries him, and they have a child together.

Download Study Guide Start Free Trial Start your free trial with eNotes to access more than 30,000 study guides. Get help with any book. link Link Summary of the Novel Jane Eyre, an orphan, lives with her abusive aunt, Sarah Reed, and her mean-spirited cousins, John, Eliza, and Georgiana, at Gateshead Hall. She is sent away to the Lowood School where the conditions are very harsh. Jane befriends a fellow student, Helen Burns, and Miss Temple, a teacher. When Helen Burns dies, and Miss Temple marries, Jane decides to leave Lowood, and secures a job as a governess at Thornfield. At Thornfield, Jane’s duties are to teach the master’s foster child Adele Varens. Although he has a brusque manner, Jane finds the master, Edward Fairfax Rochester, attractive and fascinating. One night Jane is awakened by strange noises. Seeing smoke coming from Mr. Rochester’s room, she runs in and throws water on the fire, awakening him. He leads Jane to believe that it is Grace Poole, a servant, who caused the damage. Meanwhile, Mr.

Rochester apparently pursues Blanche Ingram, a local beauty, while Jane’s love for him continues to grow. Jane leaves Thornfield to visit the dying Mrs. Reed, who tells her that John Eyre, her father’s brother, is trying to contact her. When Jane returns to Thornfield, Mr. Rochester switches his affections from Blanche to Jane, and proposes marriage. The wedding ceremony is interrupted by Mr. Briggs, who claims that Mr. Rochester is already married. The mad Bertha Rochester, who is locked away on the third floor of Thornfield, is exposed to Jane. Jane flees, and arrives at Moor House where she is taken in by St. John Rivers, a minister. Jane receives an inheritance from her uncle, John Eyre. St. John Rivers proposes marriage to Jane, but she declines since she still has Mr. Rochester on her mind. Jane returns to Thornfield and discovers it has burned to the ground. It seems that Bertha Rochester set the fire and died in it, while Mr. Rochester suffered a mangled hand that had to be amputated and has been left blind. Jane reunites with Mr.

Rochester at Ferndean, his current home, and they marry. Ten years pass, and Jane tells us how contented she is with married life, Mr. Rochester has regained partial vision in one eye, and they have a newborn son. As an orphan, Jane’s status is the lowest in the social class system. Because of her status (of which she is constantly reminded as a child) she strives to better herself through education and employment. During her struggles, Jane observes the other classes, including the religious zealots, with great insight and comes to recognize the many hypocrisies of the characters. Emotionally, Jane is a lonely and ostracized child who recognizes her need for love and actively searches for it throughout her life, eventually finding her home with Mr. Rochester. Her search not only teaches her the true essence of love, but also enables her to raise her social position through hard work and the financial inheritance she receives. Estimated Reading Time Jane Eyre is divided into 38 chapters of varying length. It should take approximately 15 hours to read Jane Eyre. link Link Jane Eyre appealed to the Victorian reading public on both sides of the Atlantic.

Published under a pseudonym, the novel had its London enthusiasts at first speculating about the real author, then marveling at the achievement of a little-known, isolated vicar’s daughter from Yorkshire. In America, the plot and narrative technique of Jane Eyre were quickly imitated by women writers hoping to capitalize on the novel’s popularity. The plot contains many elements to capture and maintain the reader’s attention: an abused orphan who rebels successfully against her oppressors, a mystery involving screams in the attic and a burning bed, a marriage stopped at the altar, sensual temptation and moral victory, and the reformation of a good man gone wrong. The appeal of the book is not dependent solely on a lively plot; Jane Eyre herself is an engaging character. Unwilling to accept others’ definitions of her as an unattractive, dependent relation, Jane asserts herself against those who treat her badly. Faced with unpleasant cousins and oppressive schoolteachers, Jane fights for what she thinks is right. She is made to feel that her passionate responses are a character flaw, but the reader is made to see that her rebelliousness is appropriate.

In a book that explores the conflict between individual and society, it is not surprising that there are a number of structural oppositions as well. Jane’s worldly cousins, the Reeds, are countered by her intellectual cousins, the Riverses. The tyrannical schoolmaster, Mr. Brocklehurst, is paired with the soothing headmistress, Miss Temple. Most important is the contrast between the two proposals of marriage that Jane receives, and the men who make them: Mr. Rochester recognizes Jane’s true character, but he would pamper and oppress her with riches; St. John Rivers respects Jane’s intellectual capabilities and self-control, but he would withhold true love and expect Jane to destroy her health doing difficult missionary work in India. Jane is able to resist both of them because she has developed a healthy sense of self-worth and has risen above the abuse she received as a child. Her emotional independence is matched by an unexpected inheritance, which alleviates Jane’s need to work in subservient positions. Thus strengthened, Jane can return to Rochester after his first wife dies. The physical mutilation he has undergone—blinding and loss of an arm—makes him dependent on Jane for more than amusement.

In a marriage of mutual respect and support, Jane’s self-image can continue to prosper. Dulce Domum: The Longing for Home in Literature (and Our Hearts) | Circe Institute Dulce Domum: The Longing for Home in Literature (and Our Hearts) Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” - C.S. Lewis Sweet Home. It’s more than just a lovely sentiment on a cross-stitched pillow. You might say it’s engraved, embedded, etched on our very souls. From the time we are little and draw a crayon square with a triangle on top to the day we leave home for college or set up our first apartment or purchase a house for the first time or bring that first baby home, we are ever consumed with a desire for a place of our own, indeed a place to make our own. This desire for a place to call home provides one of the strongest themes for authors, poets, and artists of all kind to weave throughout their works.

We may laugh at the sugary sentimentality of a glowing thatched cottage, covered in flowery vines and surrounded by a picket fence, but the desire for a place to call one’s own is no laughing matter. Homer knew this. Odysseus wants nothing more than to go home. He is tired and he is tried. He has been thwarted at every turn in his attempt to return to Ithaca, to the waiting arms of dear Penelope and now-grown Telemachus. And when he does reach Ithaca, he must free his home from the invading suitors. As we read, we ache for this man who wants desperately to re-establish order in his home. Virgil understood this desire as well. In fact, one popular children’s version of The Aeneid is called appropriately called “In Search of a Homeland.” Pious Aeneas leads his Trojan refugees out of the fiery furnace of a fallen Troy into the unknown waters and lands of Italy. Despite his own series of misadventures along the way, he doggedly pursues his duty and his calling to found a new city. Citizens of Rome needed a history of their fatherland and Virgil provided it.

Sometimes home is more than where you live. It is also where you came from. We may laugh at the sugary sentimentality of a glowing thatched cottage, covered in flowery vines and surrounded by a picket fence, but the desire for a place to call one’s own is no laughing matter. In The Wind and the Willows, Kenneth Grahame ties these threads together, proving yet again that a good children’s book is one that can be read by anyone. In a chapter entitled “Dulce Domum” he tells how Mole returns to his home after a frightening turn in the woods. Mole’s home, with it’s forecourt and fountains, its statuary and fishpond, gives us quite an insight into this little rodent.

And who could forget the description of Badger’s kitchen, where “heroes could fitly feast…and where weary harvesters” would feel right at home, where plates wink from shelves, and the “ruddy brick floor smiled up at the smoky ceiling.” The climax of the tale occurs in “The Return of Ulysses” when Badger, Mole, and Ratty come to the rescue of Toad, whose home has been invaded by those forest fiends, the stoats and weasels. The friends band together in a glorious reclamation of Toad Hall. Charlotte Bronte imbues Jane Eyre with many examples of homes, both good and bad, and their various influences on the title character. Even the names of the homes give us a clue as to their purpose and atmosphere. Who could forget the imposing Gateshead, home of the cruel cousins and wicked Aunt Reed? Lowood, the miserable (and miserably run) school for girls, emanates a miasma that eventually results in its closure. Thornfield Hall echoes the curse of Eden as it is surely no paradise for Jane. While she does make the acquaintance of a certain Mr.

Rochester, her exile sends her to the unassuming Moor House, where she learns more of herself and her family’s story. Finally, joyfully, Jane’s fortunes take a turn for the better as she and Rochester move into Ferndean. In spite of her wanderings, we know Jane has at last found safety and security when she tells Edward, “…wherever you are is my home,--my only home.” Mark Twain shows us how even the homeless can teach us a thing or two. Huckleberry Finn might very well be the definition of the “anti-hero” and his various stops up and down the Mississippi River could be described as “anti-homes.” The well-meaning Widow Douglas’s home is too civilized, Pap’s cabin is too dangerous, the Shepherdsons’ home too bullet-riddled, and Aunt Sally’s farm is too confining. We can empathize with Huck when he says that “you feel mighty free and easy on a raft”, yet we know the raft can never be his permanent home. But where might that be? Huck is determined to find out as he “lights out for the territory.” Will he ever find a home?

Perhaps that uncertainty is what keeps him forever young in the imaginations of readers everywhere. Where does it come from, this longing for home? The answer is found in a story much older even than the epics of Homer. It’s the Old, Old, Story. Creation set the stage for our first home, but the Fall resulted in a disordered home, and so we eagerly await our Redemption and the establishment of our new home: the new heavens and the new earth. Until that day comes, may we all find rest and peace, along with Mole, “…in a place which was all his own, these things which were so glad to see him again and could always be counted on for the same simple welcome.” Jane Eyre: Top Ten Quotes | Novelguide Top Ten Quotes Average Overall Rating: 3 Total Votes: 6683 "I resisted all the way: a new thing for me." (Chapter 2). Jane says this as Bessie is taking her to be locked in the red-room after she had fought back when John Reed struck her. For the first time Jane is asserting her rights, and this action leads to her eventually being sent to Lowood School.

"That night, on going to bed, I forgot to prepare in imagination the Barmecide supper, of hot roast potatoes, or white bread and new milk, with which I was wont to amuse my inward cravings. I feasted instead on the spectacle of ideal drawings, which I saw in the dark - all the work of my own hands." (Chapter 8). Jane writes of this after she has become comfortable and has excelled at Lowood. She is no longer dwelling on the lack of food or other material things, but is more concerned with her expanding mind and what she can do. "While I paced softly on, the last sound I expected to hear in so still a region, a laugh, struck my ears. It was a curious laugh - distinct, formal, mirthless. I stopped" (Chapter 11). Jane hears this laugh on her first full day at Thornfield Hall. It is her first indication that something is going on there that she does not know about.

"Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags" (Chapter 12). Jane thinks this as she looks out of the third story at the view from Thornfield, wishing she could see and interact with more of the world. "The ease of his manner freed me from painful restraint; the friendly frankness, as correct as cordial, with which he treated me, drew me to him" (Chapter 15). Jane says this after Rochester has become friendlier with her after he has told her the story of Adele's mother. She is soon in love with him and goes on to say, "And was Mr. Rochester now ugly in my eyes?

No, reader: gratitude and many associates, all pleasurable and genial, made his face the object I best liked to see; his presence in a room was more cheering than the brightest fire" (Chapter 15). "I knew," he continued, "you would do me good in some way, at some time: I saw it in your eyes when I first beheld you; their expression and smile did not.strike delight to my inmost heart so for nothing" (Chapter 15) After the fire Rochester tries to get Jane to stay with him longer and he says this to her. This is one of the reasons that Jane feels he fancies her. "I had not intended to love him; the reader knows I had wrought hard to extirpate from my soul the germs of love there detected; and now, at the first renewed view of him, they spontaneously revived, great and strong! He made me love him without looking at me" (Chapter 17). Jane says this when she sees Rochester again after his absence. She had tried to talk herself out of loving him, but it was impossible. This is also an example of one of the times that Jane addresses the reader.

"In the deep shade, at the farther end of the room, a figure ran backwards and forwards. What it was, whether beast or human being, one could not, at first sight tell: it groveled, seemingly on all fours: it snatched and growled like some strange wild animal: but it was covered with clothing and a quantity of dark, grizzled hair wild as a mane, hid its head and face" (Chapter 26). This is what Rochester, Mason, and Jane see when they return from the stopped wedding and go up to the third story. This is the first time Jane really sees Rochester's wife. "Gentle reader, may you never feel what I then felt? May your eyes never shed such stormy, scalding, heart-wrung tears as poured from mine. May you never appeal to Heaven in prayers so hopeless and so agonized as in that hour left my lips; for never may you, like me, dread to be the instrument of evil to what you wholly love" (Chapter 27). Jane says this as she is quietly leaving Thornfield in the early morning. She knows that she is bringing grief upon herself and Rochester, but she knows she must leave.

"Reader, I married him." This quote, the first sentence in the last chapter, shows another example of Jane addressing the reader, and ties up the end of the story. Jane is matter-of-fact in telling how things turned out. Jane Eyre (2011) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC A mousy governess who softens the heart of her employer soon discovers that he's hiding a terrible secret.

Director: a list of 41 titles created 27 Jan 2012 a list of 21 titles created 16 Jul 2012 a list of 37 titles created 05 Aug 2013 a list of 25 titles created 24 Aug 2014 a list of 46 titles created 26 Dec 2015 Search for " Jane Eyre " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 14 nominations. See more awards » Videos A biographical portrait of a pre-fame Jane Austen and her romance with a young Irishman. Director: Julian Jarrold Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome their own pride and prejudice? Director: Joe Wright Rich Mr. Dashwood dies, leaving his second wife and her three daughters poor by the rules of inheritance.

The two eldest daughters are the titular opposites. Director: Ang Lee Jane Eyre (TV Mini-Series 2006) Drama | Romance A young governess falls in love with her brooding and complex master. However, his dark past may destroy their relationship forever. Stars: Ruth Wilson, Toby Stephens, Lorraine Ashbourne A chronicle of the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life. Director: Saul Dibb Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a thirteen-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit. Director: Joe Wright In late-19th-century Russian high society, St. Petersburg aristocrat Anna Karenina enters into a life-changing affair with the dashing Count Alexei Vronsky. Director: Joe Wright A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert. Director: Jean-Marc Vallée Emma Woodhouse seems to be perfectly content, a loving father whom she cares for, friends, and a home.

But Emma has a terrible habit - matchmaking. She cannot resist finding suitors for her... See full summary » Stars: Romola Garai, Michael Gambon, Jonny Lee Miller Two sisters contend for the affection of King Henry VIII. Director: Justin Chadwick At 10, Fanny Price, a poor relation, goes to live at Mansfield Park, the estate of her aunt's husband, Sir Thomas. Clever, studious, and a writer with an ironic imagination and fine moral ... See full summary » Director: Patricia Rozema Pride and Prejudice (TV Mini-Series 1995) Drama | Romance Jane Austen's classic novel about the prejudice that occurred between the 19th century classes and the pride which would keep lovers apart. Stars: Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Susannah Harker Edit Storyline After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meets the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Mr. Rochester. Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him.

Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Mr. Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever? Written by Mel Bellis in the U.K. She sought refuge... and found a place haunted by secrets. Genres: Motion Picture Rating ( MPAA ) Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements including a nude image and brief violent content | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 22 April 2011 (USA) See more » Also Known As: $182,885 (USA) (11 March 2011) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia Ellen Page was the first choice for the lead role, but withdrew when production was delayed. Mia Wasikowska was later cast. See more » Goofs During the first meeting between Mrs Fairfax, Mr Rochester and Jane Eyre; Mrs Fairfax serves tea and then sits down with her cup. The cup she is holding is clearly empty. See more » Quotes Mrs. Fairfax : No one knows how it started. I expect that Mrs. Poole took too much of the Gin and water as she slept the lady, Mrs. Rochester, unlocked the keys.

She did what she failed to do a year ago, set the whole place to fire. We would have all perished in the smoke but Mister Rochester would not rest until we were all safe. Then he went in for her. The flames were tearing up so high it brought men running from the village. I saw her standing on the roof, the very edge. I heard Mister Rochester beg her ... Piano Sonata No. 11 In A Major, K.331, Third Movement: 'Alla Turca' (C. 1783) (United States) – See all my reviews This movie is exquisite. It is an example of how a dramatic movie should be made. Far from being corny or contrived, this movie is about integrity, courage, loyalty, and friendship. The movie is beautifully filmed and conveys the moodiness and foreboding associated with the story. The acting is great by all members of the cast. This movie tells a story and tells it well. It provides a glimpse of nineteenth century English society and how people looked and acted at that time. Yet the movie is more than a period piece; its themes are timeless. At no time does the story drag. Jane Eyre is heroic.

She is the epitome of human goodness, not the kind that's candy-coated but the kind that is genuine. She transcends a harsh childhood to become a source of great strength for everyone around her. Unlike most Hollywood movies today, Jane Eyre is story-driven, and the story is strong. This movie is well worth watching and the title character is a role model for adolescents or young adults of all ages to emulate. 55 of 76 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes SparkNotes: Jane Eyre: Character List Character List Plot Overview Analysis of Major Characters Jane Eyre - The protagonist and narrator of the novel, Jane is an intelligent, honest, plain-featured young girl forced to contend with oppression, inequality, and hardship. Although she meets with a series of individuals who threaten her autonomy, Jane repeatedly succeeds at asserting herself and maintains her principles of justice, human dignity, and morality. She also values intellectual and emotional fulfillment. Her strong belief in gender and social equality challenges the Victorian prejudices against women and the poor. Read an in-depth analysis of Jane Eyre.

Edward Rochester - Jane’s employer and the master of Thornfield, Rochester is a wealthy, passionate man with a dark secret that provides much of the novel’s suspense. Rochester is unconventional, ready to set aside polite manners, propriety, and consideration of social class in order to interact with Jane frankly and directly. He is rash and impetuous and has spent much of his adult life roaming about Europe in an attempt to avoid the consequences of his youthful indiscretions. His problems are partly the result of his own recklessness, but he is a sympathetic figure because he has suffered for so long as a result of his early marriage to Bertha. Read an in-depth analysis of Edward Rochester. St. John Rivers - Along with his sisters, Mary and Diana, St. John (pronounced “Sinjin”) serves as Jane’s benefactor after she runs away from Thornfield, giving her food and shelter. The minister at Morton, St. John is cold, reserved, and often controlling in his interactions with others. Because he is entirely alienated from his feelings and devoted solely to an austere ambition, St. John serves as a foil to Edward Rochester. Read an in-depth analysis of St. John Rivers. Mrs. Reed - Mrs.

Reed is Jane’s cruel aunt, who raises her at Gateshead Hall until Jane is sent away to school at age ten. Later in her life, Jane attempts reconciliation with her aunt, but the old woman continues to resent her because her husband had always loved Jane more than his own children. Bessie Lee - The maid at Gateshead, Bessie is the only figure in Jane’s childhood who regularly treats her kindly, telling her stories and singing her songs. Bessie later marries Robert Leaven, the Reeds’ coachman. Mr. Lloyd - Mr. Lloyd is the Reeds’ apothecary, who suggests that Jane be sent away to school. Always kind to Jane, Mr. Lloyd writes a letter to Miss Temple confirming Jane’s story about her childhood and clearing Jane of Mrs. Reed’s charge that she is a liar. Georgiana Reed - Georgiana Reed is Jane’s cousin and one of Mrs. Reed’s two daughters. The beautiful Georgiana treats Jane cruelly when they are children, but later in their lives she befriends her cousin and confides in her. Georgiana attempts to elope with a man named Lord Edwin Vere, but her sister, Eliza, alerts Mrs.

Reed of the arrangement and sabotages the plan. After Mrs. Reed dies, Georgiana marries a wealthy man. Eliza Reed - Eliza Reed is Jane’s cousin and one of Mrs. Reed’s two daughters (along with her sister, Georgiana). Not as beautiful as her sister, Eliza devotes herself somewhat self-righteously to the church and eventually goes to a convent in France where she becomes the Mother Superior. John Reed - John Reed is Jane’s cousin, Mrs. Reed’s son, and brother to Eliza and Georgiana. John treats Jane with appalling cruelty during their childhood and later falls into a life of drinking and gambling. John commits suicide midway through the novel when his mother ceases to pay his debts for him. Helen Burns - Helen Burns is Jane’s close friend at the Lowood School. She endures her miserable life there with a passive dignity that Jane cannot understand. Helen dies of consumption in Jane’s arms. Read an in-depth analysis of Helen Burns. Mr. Brocklehurst - The cruel, hypocritical master of the Lowood School, Mr. Brocklehurst preaches a doctrine of privation, while stealing from the school to support his luxurious lifestyle.

After a typhus epidemic sweeps Lowood, Brocklehurst’s shifty and dishonest practices are brought to light and he is publicly discredited. Maria Temple - Maria Temple is a kind teacher at Lowood, who treats Jane and Helen with respect and compassion. Along with Bessie Lee, she serves as one of Jane’s first positive female role models. Miss Temple helps clear Jane of Mrs. Reed’s accusations against her. Miss Scatcherd - Jane’s sour and vicious teacher at Lowood, Miss Scatcherd behaves with particular cruelty toward Helen. Alice Fairfax - Alice Fairfax is the housekeeper at Thornfield Hall. She is the first to tell Jane that the mysterious laughter often heard echoing through the halls is, in fact, the laughter of Grace Poole—a lie that Rochester himself often repeats. Bertha Mason - Rochester’s clandestine wife, Bertha Mason is a formerly beautiful and wealthy Creole woman who has become insane, violent, and bestial. She lives locked in a secret room on the third story of Thornfield and is guarded by Grace Poole, whose occasional bouts of inebriation sometimes enable Bertha to escape. Bertha eventually burns down Thornfield, plunging to her death in the flames.

Grace Poole - Grace Poole is Bertha Mason’s keeper at Thornfield, whose drunken carelessness frequently allows Bertha to escape. When Jane first arrives at Thornfield, Mrs. Fairfax attributes to Grace all evidence of Bertha’s misdeeds. Adèle Varens - Jane’s pupil at Thornfield, Adèle Varens is a lively though somewhat spoiled child from France. Rochester brought her to Thornfield after her mother, Celine, abandoned her. Although Celine was once Rochester’s mistress, he does not believe himself to be Adèle’s father. Celine Varens - Celine Varens is a French opera dancer with whom Rochester once had an affair. Although Rochester does not believe Celine’s claims that he fathered her daughter Adèle, he nonetheless brought the girl to England when Celine abandoned her. Rochester had broken off his relationship with Celine after learning that Celine was unfaithful to him and interested only in his money. Sophie - Sophie is Adèle’s French nurse at Thornfield. Richard Mason - Richard Mason is Bertha’s brother. During a visit to Thornfield, he is injured by his mad sister.

After learning of Rochester’s intent to marry Jane, Mason arrives with the solicitor Briggs in order to thwart the wedding and reveal the truth of Rochester’s prior marriage. Mr. Briggs - John Eyre’s attorney, Mr. Briggs helps Richard Mason prevent Jane’s wedding to Rochester when he learns of the existence of Bertha Mason, Rochester’s wife. After John Eyre’s death, Briggs searches for Jane in order to give her her inheritance. Blanche Ingram - Blanche Ingram is a beautiful socialite who despises Jane and hopes to marry Rochester for his money. Diana Rivers - Diana Rivers is Jane’s cousin, and the sister of St. John and Mary. Diana is a kind and intelligent person, and she urges Jane not to go to India with St. John. She serves as a model for Jane of an intellectually gifted and independent woman. Mary Rivers - Mary Rivers is Jane’s cousin, the sister of St. John and Diana. Mary is a kind and intelligent young woman who is forced to work as a governess after her father loses his fortune. Like her sister, she serves as a model for Jane of an independent woman who is also able to maintain close relationships with others and a sense of meaning in her life.

Rosamond Oliver - Rosamond is the beautiful daughter of Mr. Oliver, Morton’s wealthiest inhabitant. Rosamond gives money to the school in Morton where Jane works. Although she is in love with St. John, she becomes engaged to the wealthy Mr. Granby. John Eyre - John Eyre is Jane’s uncle, who leaves her his vast fortune of 20,000 pounds. Uncle Reed - Uncle Reed is Mrs. Reed’s late husband. In her childhood, Jane believes that she feels the presence of his ghost. Because he was always fond of Jane and her mother (his sister), Uncle Reed made his wife promise that she would raise Jane as her own child. It is a promise that Mrs. Reed does not keep. SparkNotes: Jane Eyre: Plot Overview Plot Overview Context Character List Jane Eyre is a young orphan being raised by Mrs. Reed, her cruel, wealthy aunt. A servant named Bessie provides Jane with some of the few kindnesses she receives, telling her stories and singing songs to her.

One day, as punishment for fighting with her bullying cousin John Reed, Jane’s aunt imprisons Jane in the red-room, the room in which Jane’s Uncle Reed died. While locked in, Jane, believing that she sees her uncle’s ghost, screams and faints. She wakes to find herself in the care of Bessie and the kindly apothecary Mr. Lloyd, who suggests to Mrs. Reed that Jane be sent away to school. To Jane’s delight, Mrs. Reed concurs. Once at the Lowood School, Jane finds that her life is far from idyllic. The school’s headmaster is Mr. Brocklehurst, a cruel, hypocritical, and abusive man. Brocklehurst preaches a doctrine of poverty and privation to his students while using the school’s funds to provide a wealthy and opulent lifestyle for his own family. At Lowood, Jane befriends a young girl named Helen Burns, whose strong, martyrlike attitude toward the school’s miseries is both helpful and displeasing to Jane. A massive typhus epidemic sweeps Lowood, and Helen dies of consumption. The epidemic also results in the departure of Mr.

Brocklehurst by attracting attention to the insalubrious conditions at Lowood. After a group of more sympathetic gentlemen takes Brocklehurst’s place, Jane’s life improves dramatically. She spends eight more years at Lowood, six as a student and two as a teacher. After teaching for two years, Jane yearns for new experiences. She accepts a governess position at a manor called Thornfield, where she teaches a lively French girl named Adèle. The distinguished housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax presides over the estate. Jane’s employer at Thornfield is a dark, impassioned man named Rochester, with whom Jane finds herself falling secretly in love. She saves Rochester from a fire one night, which he claims was started by a drunken servant named Grace Poole. But because Grace Poole continues to work at Thornfield, Jane concludes that she has not been told the entire story. Jane sinks into despondency when Rochester brings home a beautiful but vicious woman named Blanche Ingram. Jane expects Rochester to propose to Blanche. But Rochester instead proposes to Jane, who accepts almost disbelievingly. The wedding day arrives, and as Jane and Mr. Rochester prepare to exchange their vows, the voice of Mr.

Mason cries out that Rochester already has a wife. Mason introduces himself as the brother of that wife—a woman named Bertha. Mr. Mason testifies that Bertha, whom Rochester married when he was a young man in Jamaica, is still alive. Rochester does not deny Mason’s claims, but he explains that Bertha has gone mad. He takes the wedding party back to Thornfield, where they witness the insane Bertha Mason scurrying around on all fours and growling like an animal. Rochester keeps Bertha hidden on the third story of Thornfield and pays Grace Poole to keep his wife under control. Bertha was the real cause of the mysterious fire earlier in the story. Knowing that it is impossible for her to be with Rochester, Jane flees Thornfield. Penniless and hungry, Jane is forced to sleep outdoors and beg for food. At last, three siblings who live in a manor alternatively called Marsh End and Moor House take her in. Their names are Mary, Diana, and St. John (pronounced “Sinjin”) Rivers, and Jane quickly becomes friends with them. St. John is a clergyman, and he finds Jane a job teaching at a charity school in Morton.

He surprises her one day by declaring that her uncle, John Eyre, has died and left her a large fortune: 20,000 pounds. When Jane asks how he received this news, he shocks her further by declaring that her uncle was also his uncle: Jane and the Riverses are cousins. Jane immediately decides to share her inheritance equally with her three newfound relatives. St. John decides to travel to India as a missionary, and he urges Jane to accompany him—as his wife. Jane agrees to go to India but refuses to marry her cousin because she does not love him. St. John pressures her to reconsider, and she nearly gives in. However, she realizes that she cannot abandon forever the man she truly loves when one night she hears Rochester’s voice calling her name over the moors. Jane immediately hurries back to Thornfield and finds that it has been burned to the ground by Bertha Mason, who lost her life in the fire. Rochester saved the servants but lost his eyesight and one of his hands. Jane travels on to Rochester’s new residence, Ferndean, where he lives with two servants named John and Mary. At Ferndean, Rochester and Jane rebuild their relationship and soon marry.

At the end of her story, Jane writes that she has been married for ten blissful years and that she and Rochester enjoy perfect equality in their life together. She says that after two years of blindness, Rochester regained sight in one eye and was able to behold their first son at his birth.

Question: In classical literature, whose home was Thomfield Hall?
Answer: Mr Rochester